Cop jailed for possessing child porn images

Published:11:04Monday 21 August 2017

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A former Bedfordshire police officer has been jailed after pleading guilty to possessing indecent images of children.

Jamal Hassan, 36, admitted three charges of making indecent photographs of children, possession of an extreme pornographic image, outraging public decency, four counts of misconduct and perverting the course of justice.

Hassan, who was dismissed without notice for gross misconduct at a Special Case Hearing held earlier this month, was sentenced to a total of six years at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) lasting 15 years and was put on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

Bedfordshire Police was notified that his online activity indicated he may have a sexual interest in children on 16 May. An investigation was launched and officers from Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) arrested Hassan at his home address in Luton the following morning. Hassan was immediately suspended from duty.

Searches of Hassan’s home revealed almost 7,000 indecent images and videos of children stored on various devices. Further examination revealed inappropriate videos Hassan had made of himself at various locations including while in victims’ homes dating back to 2006 and 2009.

Evidence was also gathered which showed Hassan had destroyed other storage devices in a bid to cover his tracks.

When sentencing, Judge Sean Enright described Hassan’s actions as a ‘gross abuse of his position of trust’.

T/Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Sebire said: “The actions of Jamal Hassan were absolutely abhorrent and have no place in policing.

“We are here to protect vulnerable people from harm and he has let down every single one of his colleagues with his conduct. People who worked alongside him are disgusted by his behaviour and were completely unaware of the secret life he was leading.

“While there is no suggestion Hassan committed any ‘contact’ offences, we are still investigating his actions over the past decade and would urge anyone who has concerns regarding his conduct to contact us.

“It is also important to stress that online offending is not a victimless crime. People who view these horrific images are effectively funding this type of crime which affects so many innocent children across the world.

“Victims are at the heart of everything we do, and we are working hard to ensure we identify vulnerability in order to protect and safeguard victims from harm. We are also working to educate officers and staff to ensure they report concerning or inappropriate behaviour so we can act quickly to take appropriate action.”

Detective Sergeant James Weston of Cambridgeshire Constabulary, said: “This sentence should send a clear message to offenders that you will be brought to justice irrespective of who you are or your position in society.”